Put an autism practitioner with experience treating over 800 children and families together with a part seasoned technology developer, part inventor, and the result becomes RelateToAutism.com (http://www.relatetoautism.com) – dynamic, breakthrough software technology that brings together extensive hands-on autism intervention specialists and autism support, with real and practical answers and autism resources.

Relate to Autism offers a wealth of services including, among others:

- Phone consultations with autism practitioners, occupational therapists, and holistic health counselors
- Coaching sessions with other parents of autistic children who are themselves conducting home-based interventions
- Weekend workshops that provide an opportunity for families to meet and share experiences with both other parents and a range of experts

The duo behind the system are Kat Houghton and Mark Tuomenoksa. Houghton, an autism practitioner who has worked with hundreds of children and families over the last decade, is currently conducting doctoral studies in autism treatment at Lancaster University, U.K. Tuomenoksa is a seasoned technology entrepreneur whose resume includes Research Director at Bell Laboratories as well as inventions and patents filed with Nobel Laureate Arno Penzias.

“Frequently, people who experience the impact of autism on their own family dynamic are overwhelmed and drained by the financial, social, physical and time requirements of their autistic children,” stated Houghton. “Others simply don’t know just how tough it really is, until they experience it firsthand.”

“Parents of autistic children may be uneducated about the actions they can take from a very early age to help their children with autism, or they’re overwhelmed by exposure to too much information and not enough practical support,” stated Houghton. “At Relate to Autism, the parent-child relationship is the foundation for all social development. With interactive guidance and focused support, parents can deepen their relationships with their children while enhancing child development with lasting results.”

The key to the technology’s effectiveness is its comprehensive suite of online tools and services that are designed for parents to begin immediately helping their children at home with minimal time and cost. Houghton developed what she calls the “Growth through Play System” (GPS), an approach drawing on best practices from multiple autism treatment paradigms providing parents with a program specifically tuned to their child’s needs.

“The flexibility of GPS reflects an understanding that every child is different,” said Houghton. “The GPS integrates current autism research with tried and tested autism approaches to create a unique and cohesive program for everyone involved: the child, parents, extended family and practitioners from various fields such as Occupational Therapy, Nutrition and Parent Counseling.”

Houghton’s desire to make the Growth through Play System more accessible to families everywhere brought her to Tuomenoksa of Tefsoft Inc., for help translating her ideas into an interactive online format that could be brought to parents via the Internet. The result, available at RelateToAutism.com (http://www.relatetoautism.com), presents easy-to-use Web-based tools for parents seeking to understand their child’s development, specify goals, identify learning activities, measure progress and evaluate what is working most effectively, all from their home.

“Kat’s vision is to help families overcome the day-to-day – and for some, the moment-to-moment – struggles,” said Tuomenoksa. “She inspired me to translate her knowledge and experience into something that could be used by thousands of families all over the planet.”

“A common issue for children with autism is relating to others, because they skip critical developmental steps,” added Houghton. “This presents difficulty in reading and responding to others in social interactions.” Houghton used Tuomenoksa’s technology to communicate her deep understanding of autism and impact on relationships with production of the GPS Starter, an online evaluation that interacts with parents to identify gaps in the development of pivotal relationship and communication skills. The GPS Starter then instantly generates a set of focused curriculum items along with guidance on teaching these skills through vibrant, fun and engaging activities.

Tools are available that empower parents to integrate all aspects of their child’s treatment program such as:

- Multimedia sharing
- Real-time, integrated messaging among support teams
- Shared scheduling
- Automated progress report generation

Social networking brings together parents, professionals, extended families and volunteers, to fill a critical need for focused support and daily encouragement.

Rita Gendelman, an occupational therapist in New York City, speaks enthusiastically about the openness and holistic nature of the Relate to Autism approach. “So many organizations offering services to families of children with autism are well-meaning but can become inflexible in their approach, placing a higher priority on their organization’s program than on the specific needs of an individual child,” said Ms. Gendelman. “As an occupational therapist working regularly with autistic children, I’m thrilled to see an organization that openly embraces a diverse set of disciplines and practices to provide a mixture of services designed specially for each child.”

About Autism

Center for Disease Control and Prevention study indicates that approximately 1 in 110 children born in the United States have some form of autism. A spectrum of developmental disorders, autism generally appears within the first 3 years of life and is characterized by difficulties interacting, playing, and communicating both verbally and non-verbally. Although there are many therapies that can help children with autism, there is still no known cure.

Near epidemic growth in autism diagnoses over the past 30 years has far outstripped the supply of trained practitioners experienced in working with autistic children; there are simply not enough practitioners to go around. Although most experts agree that early intervention is critical, many parents are currently waiting a year or more for basic diagnosis, evaluation and recommendations by autism specialists.

Relate to Autism helps parents to provide immediate and meaningful support to children with autism with affordable and accessible online tools, information and support services. Relate to Autism facilitates collaboration and partnership among parents, family members and practitioners complementing existing therapies or designing custom treatment plans tuned to the individual needs of each child.

To learn more about the Relate to Autism system visit www.relatetoautism.com or kat@relatetoautism.com

MEDIA: To arrange for an interview with the creator or developer of Relate to Autism, contact Kat Houghton at 518-697-0637.

The Surrogacy & Egg Donation Center consisting of Conceptual Options, LLC and Erickson Law, APLC announces their Southern California Surrogacy & Egg Donation Seminars to be held at their Poway Office, 13025 Danielson Street, Suite 200, Poway, CA on June 15th (Surrogates) & 16th (Egg Donors). “A substantial portion of our surrogates and egg donors are local women and we felt an informational seminar to explain the process of surrogacy and egg donation would lead to more informed and educated participants. One of our biggest concerns is that the women who become part of our center are fully educated and understand the medical and psychological risks and benefits associated with third party reproduction. This allows them to make an informed choice,” states Theresa Erickson, Founder and Chair.

The Surrogacy & Egg Donation Seminars are aimed at informing women who are interested in becoming a surrogate or egg donor on the possibilities that exist for family building and how to play a role in giving the greatest gift of life. The topics to be discussed include explaining the process of third party assisted reproduction, as well as helping alleviate the uncertainty of the journey, such as medical procedures, legal issues surrounding guardianship and contracts for compensation, and potential unforeseen psychological consequences of becoming a surrogate or egg donor. Speakers include: Theresa M. Erickson, Esq. (The Surrogacy & Egg Donation Lawyer), Katherine Ellis-Hernandez, PhD. (Registered Psychological Assistant), Diane Wong (Surrogate Intake Coordinator), Amber (Surrogate Mother) and Jenny (Egg Donor).

The seminars will be held on June 15th (Surrogates) and June 16th (Egg Donors) from 5:30-7:30P.M. at The Surrogacy & Egg Donation Centers San Diego Office located at 13025 Danielson St, Suite 200-220 Poway, CA 92064. For more information please call 858-748-4222 or email us at Diane@ConceptualOptions.com or visit our website at http://www.ConceptualOptions.com/.

About the Surrogacy & Egg Donation Center

The Surrogacy and Egg Donation Center is a globally recognized leader in the area of third party assisted reproduction consulting and was founded by Surrogacy Lawyer Theresa M. Erickson, Esq. in 1999. With offices in San Diego, Los Angeles and Miami it has been integral in all aspects of the fertility community and in helping build families through surrogacy, egg donation, embryo donation, and sperm donation for couples and individuals across the United States and the World. “All families are traditional; some just take alternative paths by using surrogacy, egg donation, embryo donation and sperm donation to become a family.”

Conceptual Options is a full service surrogacy & Egg Donation Center that provides alternative methods to building a family no matter your situation.
Website: http://www.ConceptualOptions.com

 Civil protection orders in Ohio can be issued by different courts to address varying threats, but all feature a common purpose: ordering one person not to harm another.

Protective Orders in Domestic Violence Cases

Civil courts may issue domestic violence civil protective orders to protect those threatened by a household member or recent household member. Municipal courts may also issue domestic violence temporary protection orders or criminal protection orders when domestic violence charges are pending before them.

A domestic violence order is available to persons who have been physically abused or put in fear of immediate and serious physical harm. Any act that would constitute child abuse can serve as grounds for a domestic violence order.

Stalking and Sex Crime Protective Orders

A person stalked or threatened by someone who is not a spouse or household member can apply for a civil stalking or sexually oriented offense protection order from a common pleas court in Ohio.

To qualify for a stalking or sexually oriented offense protection order, the victim must show evidence of having been subjected to a pattern – at least two incidents – of “menacing by stalking” that may include following: verbal threats, harassing phone calls or letters, or vandalism. One sex offense, such as rape or engaging in sexual contact with a minor, is generally enough to support a protective order.

If you or someone you love needs help seeking a protective order, contact an experienced family law attorney. A lawyer experienced in family law can provide you with the information you need to protect your rights.

Article provided by Paul R. Panico
Visit us at www.columbusdivorceatty.com